Human Clan Defender

The True Qi Pills were not abundant. The number of the Barbarian Clan did not seem to have decreased by much.

However, Shen Changqing harbored no fear in his heart. Swallowing two more bottles of True Qi Pills, he wielded the Lengyue Blade to slay all approaching Barbarian Clan members.

Heads rolled across the ground, and limbs were severed.

From a high vantage point, one could see the vast hordes of the Barbarian Clan all clustered together, with the real battle unfolding only in a small area at the center.

Time slipped by.

Whenever Shen Changqing's True Qi was depleted, he swallowed True Qi Pills for replenishment. Meanwhile, trapped and besieged by countless enemies, his understanding of the Hundred Battles Blade Technique grew at a terrifying pace.

In the past, after a year of hard training, he had barely grasped the third layer. It was known that the more advanced a Martial Art, the greater the difficulty. If it took a year to reach the third layer, then the leap from the third to the fourth might take more than a year to achieve, and the insight required to proceed from the fourth to the fifth layer would take even longer.

But now, Shen Changqing felt that his understanding of the Hundred Battles Blade Technique had reached an incredibly profound depth. The first four layers of the Martial Art were completely integrated and mastered.

As for the fifth layer, strictly speaking, there were no specific moves. It was a form of intent! An intent that pointed directly to the Grandmaster Realm! Only by thoroughly integrating the first four layers could one hope to comprehend the fifth layer's intent. At that point, a Martial Artist would naturally ascend to become a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

WHOOSH—

With a horizontal sweep of the blade, several Barbarian Clan members were cut in two, their entrails scattering on the ground. Immediately after, an onslaught of spears and blades struck his Protective Gang Qi.

To conserve his Protective Gang Qi, Shen Changqing had already limited it to about an inch from his body, almost flush against his skin. Nevertheless, after withstanding a vast number of attacks, the Protective Gang Qi still trembled incessantly, as if it could shatter at any moment.

"Kill!"

With icy resolve, Shen Changqing tried to maneuver, but the surrounding army offered no space, forcing him to rely on his Protective Gang Qi's defense while slaying any Barbarian Clan member within his striking range.

Barbarian Clan members fell one by one, only for others to step forward and take their place. The wilderness soil had been thoroughly soaked with blood, turning the dry ground into a quagmire.

Mairba suddenly boomed, his voice reaching the ears of all the Barbarian Clan members, "The first person to breach his Protective Gang Qi will be rewarded with ten taels of silver! Whoever manages to injure him will receive ten taels of silver! Whoever cuts off his arm will receive a hundred taels of silver and be named a Centurion! Whoever decapitates him will receive ten thousand taels of silver and be named a Commander of Ten Thousand!"

Wealth moves hearts, not to mention high rank and great riches. For the Barbarian Clan, ten thousand taels of silver was an astronomical fortune. Becoming a Commander of Ten Thousand—that was a title that could be passed down to one's descendants.

Therefore, after Mairba announced the rewards, the Barbarian Clan's attacks became even more frenzied. Everyone wanted the ten thousand taels of silver. Everyone wanted to become a Commander of Ten Thousand. This was a tremendous opportunity; if they killed the man before them, they could obtain everything.

Kill! All the Barbarian Clan members' eyes were bloodshot as their numerous attacks hammered the Protective Gang Qi, causing the Gang Qi to dim further. Marching and fighting inherently meant trading life for future prospects. Now presented with an opportunity, no one wanted to give it up easily.

Shen Changqing laughed heartily. "Good! Today, let's see whether you'll take my head to ascend in rank, or I'll take yours to break through my limits!"

As he spoke, he swallowed the last two bottles of True Qi Pills, restoring his depleted True Qi. His Lengyue Blade gleamed with light, its edge moving like a serpent's tongue across each Barbarian Clan member's body, claiming their lives one after another.

Horizontally Mounted Blade! Single-Handedly Blocking Thousands! A Lone Army Trapped in Formation! Moving with Ease! The four techniques of the Hundred Battles Blade Technique flashed through Shen Changqing's mind, and his hands moved relentlessly, wielding the blade as if he had practiced it a thousand times, each movement feeling like second nature.

Meanwhile, a powerful murderous intent was also taking shape in his heart.

ROAR—

A fierce slash of his blade struck down. A swath of Blade Gang extending a zhang instantly cleared the encircling Barbarian Clan members. His arms and Flesh resonated with the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar. Such an attack temporarily shocked the other Barbarian Clan members, but they quickly resumed their assault.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The blade sliced, and the spear pierced through.

Suddenly, the Protective Gang Qi, which had already reached its limit, burst like a bubble.

"I've breached his Protective Gang Qi!" a young Barbarian Clan member, his face alight with joy, couldn't help but shout.

But before he could enjoy his moment for long, a streak of blade light swept over him, plunging him into eternal darkness.

"Excellent!" Mairba, who was always vigilant of the battlefield's shifts, revealed a satisfied smile. "The Protective Gang Qi is broken. Let's see how much longer you can last!"

He didn't care about the deaths and injuries of the Barbarian Clan members. As far as he was concerned, the current losses were entirely worth it to claim the life of a Grandmaster of the Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar's caliber. A Grandmaster, even the mightiest of Grandmasters, without their Protective Gang Qi, was like a toothless tiger; their defeat was only a matter of time.

On the other side, the Barbarian Clan Army, seeing that Shen Changqing was bereft of his Protective Gang Qi, grew even more excited. In their eyes, his lack of Protective Gang Qi was tantamount to losing his most powerful safeguard. What remained, they believed, was prey to be slaughtered at their will.

With a single Blade Slash, he killed the Barbarian Clan member before the silver could be grasped, sending his soul plunging into the netherworld.

Blood splattered, staining his spotless azure robe. A cruel expression surfaced on Shen Changqing's face. His bloodstained Lengyue Blade, reflecting the sunlight, took on an eerie red hue, symbolizing an ominous presence.

"Kill!"

The blade of his Lengyue Blade rotated as he, like a fierce beast, pounced towards the Barbarian Clan.

So what if I have no Protective Gang Qi! Shen Changqing's greatest asset had never been his Protective Gang Qi, but rather his own inherently and extremely powerful Flesh.

BOOM—

The Lengyue Blade tore through the air. A head, large as a bushel, soared skyward, and blood gushed out.

Soon after, a Barbarian Clan member thrust with a spear, hitting Shen Changqing squarely in the back. There was no expected spray of blood. The spear, as though it had struck Diamond, not only failed to penetrate his defense but was instead shattered by a rebounding force, causing the Barbarian Clan member to bleed from the web between his thumb and forefinger.

"Impossible—" The Barbarian Clan member was greatly horrified by this scene.

Before his shock could settle, Shen Changqing had already turned and slashed with his blade, cleaving him in two and ending his life instantly.

After killing the Barbarian Clan member with a single slash, he continued his stride, unwaveringly pressing forward. Any Barbarian Clan member who obstructed his path could not withstand two exchanges before being slain on the spot. From the outside, one could only see a streak of blood spreading within the Barbarian Clan Army, like a tiny wound continuously expanding, threatening to pierce through the entire Barbarian Clan formation.

With every swing of his Lengyue Blade, he took the lives of several Barbarian Clan members. Shen Changqing's body barreled through, his left hand executing the Iron Sand Palm. Although the depletion of his True Qi significantly reduced the palm's venomous potency, the sheer power of his Flesh alone could shatter stone and split tablets. Such an attack, when it landed on an average Barbarian Clan member, could still be lethal with a single blow.

The sun dipped to the west, and the wilderness grew dim. Many Barbarian Clan members lit torches, bathing the wilderness in a fiery red glow.

By now, Shen Changqing had forgotten just how many Barbarian Clan members he had slain, mechanically swinging his blade, taking the lives of those beneath its edge. His azure robe was completely dyed in blood. The thick, coagulated blood obscured its original color, turning it into a heart-stopping blackish-red.

Ten thousand! Or perhaps eight thousand! Shen Changqing hadn't tallied the count. His mind was now filled only with an overwhelming killing intent, his entire being slipping into a bloodthirsty state.

In the heart of the Barbarian Clan forces, Mairba's expression was ice-cold. He had anticipated that Shen Changqing, after losing his Protective Gang Qi, shouldn't have been able to hold on for much longer.

But—eight hours! A full eight hours!

Under the siege of the Barbarian Clan Army, ever since his Protective Gang Qi had shattered, he had sustained the onslaught for eight hours. The number of fallen Barbarian Clan members was countless, yet he showed no signs of succumbing. Such combat strength was utterly astounding.

Kill him! We must kill him! Someone like him absolutely cannot be allowed to live, or he will become our Barbarian Clan's nightmare! Mairba roared furiously within his heart. The power Shen Changqing now unleashed made even this Barbarian Clan commander feel a tremor of fear in his heart. He found it hard to imagine the repercussions for the Barbarian Clan if Shen Changqing were allowed to escape. Such a man must be nipped in the bud.

Beside him, Gurna's face had, at some unknown point, turned grave, yet within that seriousness, there was a faint flicker of excitement. Gurna said, his voice low, "This man poses a great threat to our clan and must be killed. If his Flesh were used to create a Puppet, it would surely become an unparalleled instrument of slaughter, playing a significant role in our clan's campaign to breach Great Qin!"

Kill him! Then use his corpse to refine a Puppet! Gurna's heart burned with excitement. The more powerful an existence, the stronger the Puppet refined from them would be. This man before us, with his power alone, can battle incessantly amidst an army of tens of thousands. If refined into a Puppet, he could potentially match an army of one hundred thousand! Such a fearsome weapon would be enough to send chills down anyone's spine!

Upon hearing this, Mairba said nothing, simply watching Shen Changqing, who was still charging left and right within the encirclement.

After a long while, Mairba suddenly moved, leaping from atop the gigantic beast. His great blade cleaved down with Heaven-and-Earth-splitting might, Blade Gang erupting forth, shattering everything in its path. The Blade Gang fell, its momentum seeming to shatter Heaven and Earth.

Shen Changqing's mind, wrenching itself from the depths of boundless killing intent, snapped back to reality just in time to see the terrifying Blade Gang descending upon him.

"HAH!"

Without dodging or flinching, he channeled all his qi and blood, swinging his Lengyue Blade horizontally to meet the attack.

BOOM!

The Blade Gang shattered. Mairba, with both hands on his great blade, struck Shen Changqing's Lengyue Blade. The force of his dive, coupled with the formidable techniques of a Grandmaster, was like a collapsing mountain, immediately forcing the Lengyue Blade back.

SPLURT—